Machining mechanism of composites
Cutting composite materials may look similar to cutting metal materials, but in practice, the two mechanisms are very different.
Composite parts can be put in the metal cutting machine processing, and also can use tool similar to cutting metal parts. However, once the cutting edge cut composite workpiece, and reveals the essential difference between the two – metal cutting the material removal mechanism is completely different.
Metal cutting is the material removal mechanism of plastic deformation. The workpiece material cutting tool material than soft, in the cutting edge formed on the chip flow. In the machining of composite materials, and produce chips in the true sense not. Instead, with the “crush” to describe the material removal mechanism may be more appropriate. The workpiece material is not shear removal, the cutting edge is chopped carbon fiber hard. In this process, the cutting edge to withstand the severe abrasion, which may lead to the rapid wear.
In metal cutting, cutting tool geometry determines the cutting performance of tool material determines its service life. The machining of composite materials are the same. However, in the process of composite material, tool material will become a decision of the cutting performance factors. The composite material may cause rapid wear of tool, so that the tool geometry also change quickly — unless the cutting edge material can resist the abrasion of composite materials, sufficient to maintain its shape and sharpness. Drilling of composite materials, a common phenomenon is that the first two holes may be machined with good quality of drilled hole, but soon there will be stratified in third hole, crack or other defects that just because the orifice, the tool wear due to its geometry cannot keep cutting clean and tidy.